The Arabian Peninsula
Culture, Religion, and Influence
If you are familiar with these…
Asparagus
Bangs
Algebra
Then you already have
a connection to Arabia!
Navigation
Silk Road Connection
•The Silk Road connected people of the Arabian peninsula with people of Asia.
•This provided the opportunity for an exchange of goods, ideas, and culture.
•The map above demonstrates the range of goods available on the silk road.
•Also, notice the terrain included along the route.
Geographical Location
•The Arabian Peninsula is in a part of the world we often call the Middle East,
which places it between Europe and Asia.
•It includes such modern-day countries as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, and Jordan.
•As the second map shows, Saudi Arabia alone is roughly the same size as the
eastern Unites States.
Landscape
The Arabian Peninsula has
these characteristics:
•Vast Deserts
•Bordering Mountains
•High Daily Temperatures
•Low Nightly Temperatures
•Limited Rainfall and Water
•Desert Oasis Locations
•Fertile Land Near Rivers
Bedouins
•Many people of Arabia were, and
still are, Bedouins.
•Bedouins are nomadic groups.
•Hospitality is an important part
of their culture.
•Bedouins belong to specific tribes.
Bedouin Family
•The most important form of transportation
in the deserts of Arabia is camels.
•Camels can carry large loads for great distances.
•They require relatively little water.
•Their bodies are especially well adapted to the
harsh desert environment.
Bedouin man and his Camel
Bedouin Tents
•In this tent interior, you can
see the size of the space.
•Most of the textiles are colorful
and contain intricate patterns.
•In this tent model, you can again
see the use of colorful rugs.
•In front of the men’s half are
the tools for making coffee.
•There is a curtain dividing the
two halves.
•The women’s half is set up for
weaving.
Food
Arabian food has a great deal of variety due to the many
regional differences in farming, fishing, and trading. Even so,
certain items are shared in common. Rice is popular everywhere,
similarities in climate support similar fruits (lemons, grapes, etc.),
and sheep and goats, who can handle the environment, are used
for meat and milk.
Middle Eastern
cooking wouldn’t
be the same without
such spices as
saffron, ginger,
cinnamon, cumin,
and turmeric.
Dates, which come
in many varieties, are
another popular fruit
that can be grown
throughout Arabia.
Sherbet, the original Middle
Eastern “soft drink”, was a
method of preserving fruit
beyond its season.
Art
Iranian Painting
Pendant
Flask
Textile
Fragment
Incense Burner
Iranian Bowl
Mosque
Lamp
Tiles
Those used to
decorate mosques
could not contain
human or animal
forms.
Tiles such as these would
have been made in large
quantities to provide a
decorative surface by being
laid together in a pattern.
Many tiles
contained Arabic
words, floral
patterns,
or geometric
designs.
Inventions
The kamal was a block
of wood with a knotted
string attached. The
specific location of the
knots helped to find
latitude for ports.
Islamic sailors combined
the compass and sundial
to create a useful tool.
The astrolabe was perfected
in Arabia for measuring the
height of a star or planet.
Islamic doctors knew a
great deal about diagnosing
diseasing, anatomy, public health, psychiatry,
surgery, and circulation before the Western world.
Architecture
Hygiene is important, and public baths have
many rooms with different temperatures.
A medrese is an academic building
with several small rooms for
classrooms and student housing.
Mosques are characterized
by domes, minarets, and
a sizable courtyard.
Mosque
Details
Prayer hall floors are carpeted,
often to show individual prayer spots.
Minarets are towers
from which Muslims
are called to prayer.
This is a unique minaret
in Baghdad, Iraq.
A mihrab niche symbolizes the entrance to paradise.
Islam
Muhammad and Gabriel
The 'Five Pillars' of Islam are the foundation
of Muslim life:
• Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the
prophethood of Muhammad
• Establishment of the daily prayers (5 times)
• Concern for and almsgiving to the needy
• Self-purification through fasting during Ramadan
• The pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able
Koran
•The Koran is the holy book
of Islam.
•Muslims believe it was revealed
by an angel to Muhammad.
•The text was memorized by
Muhammad’s followers
before being recorded in
writing after his death.
Illuminated Koran Manuscript
Folding stand for holding
a copy of the Koran
Famous People
Marco Polo:
13th century
European traveler
who opened trade
between Europe and
the Silk Route and
wrote descriptions
of Asia through a
European’s eyes
Ibn Battuta:
14th century
Arabic traveler who
visited more than
40 lands and left
behind detailed,
firsthand accounts
of his journeys
Chinese Sculpture
Saladin:
12th century military
leader who is remembered
in the Muslim world for his
leadership against the
Christians during the
Crusades
Venetian Engraving